A new strain of flu with ‘pandemic potential’ has been discovered in China. G4 recently emerged into international headlines. The virus has been carried by pigs across the country.
Researchers say it has genetically descended from the H1N1 strain of influenza that caused a pandemic in 2009. While it has the potential to spread, it must be noted that there is no ‘imminent threat.’
It has been confirmed that humans can catch the virus from the animals, but there’s no official word on whether it can jump from person to person, which remains the key to ‘global outbreak’ akin to COVID-19.
“The important aspect of this strain to remember is it doesn’t appear to be spreading among humans,” Carl Bergstrom, a biologist at the University of Washington, wrote on Twitter
Scientists from China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, alongside university researchers, wrote that G4 has ‘all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans.’
The paper says that ‘systematic surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs is essential for early warning and preparedness for the next potential pandemic.’
Nottingham University’s Professor Kin-Chow Chang also told BBC News that while we are rightly focused on the current outbreak, “we must not lose sight of potentially dangerous new viruses.”
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